Releasable driving means for connecting driving and driven members



W. R REDD Au, H2, 19%.

RELEASABLE DRIVING MEANS FOR CONNECTING DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEMBERS Original Filed Feb. 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY5 W. R. REDD Aug, 12, m.

RELEASABLE DRIVING MEANS FOR CONNECTING DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEMBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 11, 19 58 QN MANN mWN wmw MN 1 A? w r 7/ r/ 7 @w I a a pmmw www Wm l l u. w i D Fl 3 -2mmww W w l v II g 7 VV V \1\ mm 4% @w \M aw N w mm N N mm NM g NW Qw Patented Aug. 12, 1941 OFFICE RELEASABLE DRIVING MEANS FOR CON- NECTING DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEM- BEES William Russell Redd, Western Springs, 111., as-

signor to Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Original application February 11, 1938, Serial No.

190,130. Divided and this application November 16, 1939, Serial No. 304,726

4 Claims.

This invention relates to releasable driving means for connecting driving and driven members, and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a releasable driving means for connecting a driving member and a driven member which is of simple and economical construction and which is readily and easily operated to permit a momentary lag of the driven member as and when determined by any suitable control member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the kind in which the driven member consists of a hollow feed roll and in which the releasable means for momentarily disconnecting the driving member from the driven feed roll is mounted in a housing which is enclosed within said feed roll.

This application is a division of an application filed by applicant on February 11, 1938, Serial No. 190,130.

As shown herein, the releasable driving means connecting driving and driven members is shown applied to mechanism for feeding and severing a continuous web bearing labels or markings to be out into lengths of such relation to said labels and markings that when wrapped about the packages for which they are designed, the labels or markings will be disposed in proper register with the faces of the packages upon which they are designed to appear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a part of such mechanism for feeding and severing a continuous web including the improved releasable driving means for connecting the driving member and the driven feed roll.

Figure 2 represents a vertical section through Figure 1 in a plane indicated by the line 2--2 thereof, but with the upper feed roll of smaller diameter removed.

Figures 3 and 4 show fragmentary sections through gearing included in Figure 2, in a common plane, but viewed from opposite directions as indicated respectively by the arrows 33 and 4-4 applied to a line indicating said plane.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an escapement bar used in the mechanism.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views, re-

spectively, of a ratchet and of a ratchet gear included in said mechanism.

Referring now to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings: I0 indicates a feed roll (see Figures 1 and 2) which is a tubular shell open at one end, with a head II at the other end. Within the shell in is rotatively mounted a housing 12 which is concentric with, and extends the length of, the shell l0. At its head end H the shell II] has an elongated hub [4 which, by a bearing 14 is rotatively mounted in a frame member A of the machine. The proximate end of the housing 12 abuts the head I l of said shell and has a tubular shaft extension l3 which has rotative bearing in said shell hub M.

The other end of the shell Ill is closed by a disc it which is held in place by a lock ring l6. Said disc has a peripheral flange ll keyed to the shell H as indicated at Il It also has a central shaft-supporting ring ll extending beyond the shell It]. A shaft 18, keyed within said ring, extends beyond the shell Ill, where it has a part l8 rotatively supported by a bearing l9 in a frame member A. Said shaft l8 also extends within the shell beyond the ring I'l where it has a part it? of reduced diameter engaged in a bearing ring l2 of the housing l2. Said bearing ring abuts the disc l6 fixed to the shell 10.

indicates a sprocket wheel (see Figure 1) driven by the sprocket chain 20 for driving the feed roll l0. Said sprocket wheel is keyed to the tubular shaft I3 of the housing I2 beyond the frame member A. Adjacent said sprocket wheel is a gear 21 fixed to the feed roll hub l4 and meshing with a gear 22 on an upper feed roll 23.

24 indicates an escapement gear with external teeth rotatively mounted within the housing l2 by means of a stud shaft 25 having its axis of rotation common to that of the feed roll shell I0. 26 indicates an escapement bar mounted in said housing for reciprocable movement diametrically of the escapement gear 24 in a slotway 21 adjacent to said escapement gear. Said escapement bar is provided with toothed arms 26*, 26 which extend into the plane of said gear for alternate engagement therewith.

On its edge remote from the escapement gear 24 the escapement bar is provided with rack teeth 26. 28 indicates a pinion rotatively mounted on a transverse shaft 29 in the housing l2 in engagement with said rack teeth. 30 indicates a rack bar engaged with the pinion 28 and reciprocable longitudinally in the housing l2. It has a projecting stud 3| which is mounted in an aperture in the housing l2 in alignment with the bore of its tubular shaft l3. An expansion helical spring 32, interposed between a collar 33 on the stud and a shoulder 34 in the housing, acts to normally hold the toothed arm 28 of the escapement bar engaged with the gear 24, and the other toothed arm 26 disengaged therefrom.

In the bore of the hollow shaft I3 of the housing is reciprocably mounted a rod 35 with an end 35 located in proximity to the end of the stud 3| of the rack bar 30. The other end of the rod 35 is operatively connected to any suitable control device, as illustrated, the armature of a solenoid 36 supported by arms 35% 36 extending laterally from the frame A.

When the field of said solenoid 36 is momentarily energized, the rod 35 will be moved to engage the stem 3| of the rack bar 30. This will move the rack bar 30 against the expansion action of the helical spring 32 to rotate the pinion 28 and, through the rack teeth 26 of the escapement bar, disengage the tooth 26 from the escapement gear, and engage the tooth 26 therewith. When the field of the solenoid is de-energized, the escapement bar will be reciprocated by the action of the helical spring 32 to disengage the tooth 26 and re-engage the tooth 26 of the escapement bar with the tooth next back of the tooth first engaged.

Beyond its bearing in the housing l2 the stud shaft 25 of the escapement gear 24 is provided with a pinion 25 as shown in Figure 2. Ad- J'acent to the pinion 25 and fixed to a reduced part 18 of the coaxial shaft I8, which is rigidly connected to the feed roll shell Iii, as heretofore described, is a gear 31. 25 and 25 indicate, respectively, a gear and a pinion, the two being fixed together and rotating on a common axis in the housing l2, with the first, 25 engaged with the pinion 25 and the second, namely, the pinion 25, engaged with the gear 3'! fixed to the part [8 of the shaft I8.

The said reduction gearing mounted as described, is familiar and will be normally locked against rotation so that the sprocket wheel 20 through the housing l2, the escapement bar 26 and the escapement gear 24 will rotate the shell Ill, namely, the feed roll. But when the escapement bar 26 is actuated by the solenoid 36 to momentarily release and then re-engage the escapement gear as hereinabove described, the predetermined momentary lag or slip between the feed roll I and the positively driven housing [2 will result from the rotation of the escapement gear-driven stud shaft 25 through a small angle relative to the housing determined by the reduction gearing connecting said stud and the shaft l8 fixed to the feed roll Hi.

The use of the reduction gearing interposed between the escapement gear and the feed roll makes it possible to use the escapement gear with coarser teeth, and yet get the small lag or slip of the feed roll required.

While in describing the invention I have referred to many details of construction and arrangement of parts, it is to be understood that the invention is in no way limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

L'A releasable driving means for connecting a driving member and a driven member, comprising a hollow feed roll, a housing mounted in said feed roll and capable of rotative movement with reference thereto, an escapement bar having like teeth at each end reciprocably mounted in said housing, an escapement gear having external teeth with its axis concentric with the axis of said feed roll and being normally engaged by one end of said escapement bar and normally disengaged by the other end thereof, said escapement gear being capable of relative rotative movement in said housing, means connecting said escapement gear to said feed roll for rotating said feed roll, and means for reciprocating said escapement bar to slip a tooth to permit a momentary lag of said feed roll.

2. A releasable driving means for connecting a driving member and a driven member, comprising a hollow feed roll, a housing mounted in said feed roll'and capable of rotative movement with reference thereto, an escapement bar having like teeth at each end reciprocably mounted in said housing, an escapement gear having ex ternal teeth with its axis concentric with the axis of said feed roll and being normally engaged by one end of said escapement bar and normally disengaged by the other end thereof, said escapement gear being capable of relative rotative movement in said housing, means including reduction gearing connecting said escapement gear to said feed roll for rotating said feed roll, and means for reciprocating said escapement bar to slip a tooth to permit a momentary lag of said feed roll.

3. A releasable driving means for connecting a driving member and a driven member, comprising a hollow feed roll, a housing concentrically mounted in said feed roll and capable of rotative movement with reference thereto, means for driving said housing, a diametrically disposed spring-actuated escapement bar having like teeth at each end reciprocably mounted in said housing, an escapement gear having external teeth with its axis concentric with the axis of said feed roll and being normally engaged by one end of said escapement bar and normally disengaged by the other end thereof, said escapement gear being capable of relative rotative movement in said housing, means connecting 7 said escapement gear to said feed roll for rotatlng said feed roll, a rack bar longitudinally reciprocable of said housing, a pinion engaged therewith, rack teeth on said escapement bar engaged by said pinion, a longitudinally reciprocable rod adapted to engage said rack bar, and means for actuating said rod for reciprocating .said escapement bar to slip a tooth to permit a momentary lag of said feed roll.

4. A releasable driving means for connecting a driving member and a driven member, comprising a hollow feed roll, a housing mounted in said feed roll and being capable of rotative movement with reference thereto, escapement members including an escapement gear with external angular teeth and an escapement bar having like teeth ateach end, having like'teeth normally engaged at one end with said gear and normally disengaged at its other end therefrom, both located in and having bearing in said housing, one of said escapement members being rotative with said housing and the other member being capable of rotation with relation to said housing when released from the other escapement member, means connecting said second named escapement member and said feed roll adapting them to rotate together, and means for operating said escapement bar to cause-it to slip a tooth on said escapement gear and permit a momentary lag of said feed roll.

WILLIAM RUSSELL REDD. 

